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Sumit SinghalSumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

WALL MUSEUM in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal by Tiago do Vale Architects

An international, one-stage architecture competition was recently held by Arkxsite with the purpose of developing compelling ideias for a contemporary museum located within the Castle of Montemor-o-Novo in Portugal. Placed on the top of a hill, 291m above sea level, not only it rules over a breathtaking view but also documents a continuous history from the Roman Period to the 18th century.

Citing the competition brief, “the Castle of Montemor-o-Novo is a significant landmark on a prominent landscape, a place of great cultural heritage and historical significance with characteristics that must be preserved.

When generating a vision for an intervention located within such a remarkable place, it is essential that each proposal emphasizes, respects and celebrates the site and existing ruins within this spectacular landscape, providing visitors a unique experience”.

Tiago do Vale Architects’ design for the Site Museum is motivated by three particular circumstances of its context: the unique character of the place, the museum’s theme and the size and features of its program.

Sharing an amazing and bucolic view over the Alentejo expanses with the ruins of the Montemor-o-novo castle, the site allows for an unparalleled relationship between architecture, landscape, history and built pre-existences.

Establishing a conversation with history and ruins, the museum was designed as if it reconstructed a part of the missing wall but assuming, at the same time, with it’s golden shimmer floating over a water mirror, that this is not just a reconstruction but a juxtaposition between historic per-existences and an oneiric idea that dialogues with them.

In the same line of thought, breaking with a traditional compartmentalized approach, this project suggests placing all the public aspects of the program on a same, continuous space, encompassed by the museological route, allowing each part of the museum to animate it as a whole, enlivening the visitor’s experience.